Hello, I was looking for a bit of help. I'm going to help my friend upgrade his aging system a bit, which is an Asus CM1630-03 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883220059).
The biggest thing is that he wants to play video games on his computer now, like Skyrim on high to mid graphics settings for example. Mostly due to budget we're pretty adamant on an upgrade instead of a complete replacement. This is the list of parts that I have lined up right now/ http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2Dbw
If you don't want to click the link, it goes as follows...
Phenom IIx4 955 BE
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus CPU Cooler
EVGA GTX 460
G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Silverstone 600W ATX12V
Here are some questions I have...
1) I'm back and forth on getting the new RAM. Do you think its worth the money to upgrade to 8GB? If so how can I check what speed and type of RAM that motherboard will take?
2) Will putting in a new processor force me to reinstall the OS? Or will that not be an issue at all?
3) I'm not as familiar with AMD's graphics card line up as Nvidia's, so is there a better performing card at that price point (~$170)?
4) I think the Power Supply might be a bit of an overkill, but I was erring on the side of caution. Should it be stepped down?
5) We still haven't decided on a new case for his system. Size is a factor because he wants to keep it in his desk's cubbyhole, so it cant be too much bigger than the original case size. (I don't have the exact measurements with me right this moment, but I'll get that ASAP)
Any feedback or advice would be appreciated!
The biggest thing is that he wants to play video games on his computer now, like Skyrim on high to mid graphics settings for example. Mostly due to budget we're pretty adamant on an upgrade instead of a complete replacement. This is the list of parts that I have lined up right now/ http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2Dbw
If you don't want to click the link, it goes as follows...
Phenom IIx4 955 BE
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus CPU Cooler
EVGA GTX 460
G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Silverstone 600W ATX12V
Here are some questions I have...
1) I'm back and forth on getting the new RAM. Do you think its worth the money to upgrade to 8GB? If so how can I check what speed and type of RAM that motherboard will take?
2) Will putting in a new processor force me to reinstall the OS? Or will that not be an issue at all?
3) I'm not as familiar with AMD's graphics card line up as Nvidia's, so is there a better performing card at that price point (~$170)?
4) I think the Power Supply might be a bit of an overkill, but I was erring on the side of caution. Should it be stepped down?
5) We still haven't decided on a new case for his system. Size is a factor because he wants to keep it in his desk's cubbyhole, so it cant be too much bigger than the original case size. (I don't have the exact measurements with me right this moment, but I'll get that ASAP)
Any feedback or advice would be appreciated!